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First of all Jen….if i remind you of your husband you must have one hell of a guy :-) congratulations!

Second- I was at the Buehrle Halladay game last year….what a great game that was. Owens won it with a homer for the sox. Hopefully more of the same for Jer Boy tonight.

Third- I am not sure why Anderson does not ever play. Personally I would play Griffey every day and hope and pray he catches lightening in the bottle because I think an old Griffey still gives us more of a chance to win than Wise, Anderson, Owens or any other minor leaguer we pull up.

Glad to hear that it is only a sprain for PK. He has been doing very well for us lately. Would be nice to have him around for the final stretch seeing Q is out and all. I’m keeping my chin up. If we can just make it into the post season, anything can happen. The only way we are getting in is winning the division. We are on top so it is ours to lose. Let’s hope the boys look in mirror and realize that it is time to step it up, and up, and up. It is not impossible.

Jim D, I have been asking all year what BA has done to Ozzie. Just trade the poor kid if you aren’t going to give him a chance. He is by far our best defensive CF. I know his bat hasn’t been the greatest in the past, but he’s given us some clutch hits this year. Perhaps if he played regularly, he might find a groove. Somebody tell me why this poor guy isn’t getting a shot–and I’m not just saying that cause he’s my guy!

Mark, I personally want to see you still around. I’m one of the pollyannas, but your posts always offer something interesting. Don’t leave us now!! Just like Klein, the board wouldn’t be the same without you.

I hate when I fail to notice a new posting from Scott, and wind up making a comment to an old post. That being said, I wanted to make sure Mark Liptak saw the following:

Mark: I don’t look as being a Realist OR a Pollyanna as mutually exclusive. While I’d be coined as a Pollyanna in your book, I also consider myself to be fully aware of the facts as they are, and try not to disallusion myself. What I refuse to be is an NNN. (See TQ’s earlier post.)

As for my thoughts on your presence here through the end of the month, you have my vote to stay. Although your and my reactions to various situations and outcomes are often drastically different, it doesn’t usually bother me too much. And if it does, I’ll say something or I’ll ignore your posts for a while. :o)

Mark, don’t go, we need ya bud, it wouldn’t be the same without you! Your posts don’t bother me, I too try to be on the Pollyanna side, which I’m not always successful at but I try . . you stats blow me away so I occasionally skip em but.. you know your crap and you left us know it too!

Klein, sorry I was the ‘devil on your shoulder’ and sent you to that dbl header, I wouldn’t have sent my worst enemy to see that one! :) Seriously… enjoy the ball game with your son and hopefully we’ll bring home a winner. I’ll be sitting here at the ole computer, watching, listening and hoping they call off school tomorrow!! :)

I know BA is on good terms with Ozzie Jr…… I went out partying with them 2 and AJ a few weeks back. Maybe that is the problem…to much hanging out with Ozzie’s kid. I know my parents didn’t like some of my friends haha

Wow. Mark was hit a ton, but for once the other team made baserunning errors. Good throw JD to get Wells as second and end their threat. It’s up to our offense now. Halladay has lost 9 games this year. Let’s make it 10… j.k.

Can someone help me out here, please? What is a “matabatacola” (sp) that Hawk always refers to? What’s it mean and what’s the origin? Is it another Hawkism? I’ve heard him say it a kazillion times, never bothered to question.

Mark – Nicely said!
This is America, freedom of speech, right?
If I don’t want to read it, I won’t! But, I do read what you have to say, just like I enjoy when the WS are on ESPN and Fox –
In Jennifer’s perfect world the WS would be the greatest team and win every game, but it’s not, and they don’t, I like to hear the real story, not what other Fans would like the WS to be. I try to stay positive, even though my head is telling me otherwise. They (WS) need LOTS of help – I know that and I think everyone else knows that also, but we all try to stay positive – in the begining of the season – I had them ending up in 3rd (season is not over, yet) I am shocked they are still in first, as them being in the World Series, only the baseball Gods know that one.
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And please, I did not mean that in a negative way at all (the last post) I just could not tell if you were a Sox Fan –

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I have no right to judge people and I have no right to tell people they cannot voice their opinion, please I would not want you to leave! I just wish you could be a LITTLE bit more positive, (for the sake of others) even though your head tells you something different!

Mark L, please do stay around and give us your insights. Even when they are accompanied by negative thoughts, I find your insights valuable.

Tom Q, Swisher’s performance seemed to me to decline with each season (Maybe Mark L has the stats?). If anyone recalls, I was the one not so very thrilled with this particular trade. I do think Swish brings enthusiasm to the clubhouse, but we need production on the field, and that’s been lacking. He *used to be* better at working the count than he has been this year. Again, I turn to Mark L – does the difference in his ability to work the count (to some extent) represent a difference in the quality of pitching in the AL West compared to the AL Central?

I’m not sure if saying the following makes me a Pollyanna or a realist, but here goes. The Sox were picked to finish fourth, this division “belonged” to either the Tigers or the Indians, depending on your preferred sports pundit. With all the trading done, the Sox never acquired a real leadoff hitter, didn’t build a particularly balanced offense, and never acquired real speed – which was something Ozzie supposedly wanted. Now, they have suffered significant injuries to key players. And they are still, at least as of this moment in time, in first place! To me, that shows some kind of talent, spunk, determination, grit, or whatever. Some will say luck, and I will grant that, but there is always an element of luck in sports, and the Sox have not benefited from any particularly great amount of luck this season.

I’m proud of this team, and will cheer them on to the last out. My prediction was that they would not win a huge number of games, but would win the division, and I’m not caving on that now. My hope (and it is just that, a *hope*) is to come back for the Red Line Series! I say that not because I have any luv for the flubs, but because it appears they will make the postseason, and if they do make it all the way to the Series, I want them to play the Sox :-)

Oh, Kris. You don’t know who Carnac is? You missed out on some classic Johnny Carson humor. Briefly, Johnny would portray a psychic who was able to determine the answer to a question in a sealed envelope. It would go something like this: “Sis-Boom-Bah”. Then he’d open the envelope and read the question: “What sound does an exploding sheep make?” Some of the humor was probably not politically correct by today’s standards, but boy, it was funny!

I do remember that now… soon as you said it it came back, Mr. Carson days, I was a little younger than some… had more important things on my mind and not Johnny usually! :) I wish I’d seen that guy now… shoot! But I can imagine!

ya know Kenwo, oddly enough, I have to agree with you on the p***** of America… seriously, the ‘whoever’s that be have taken away a lot of the fun we all used to have as kids because something isn’t politically correct or someone might get hurt, ie… dodgeball being barred from schools, etc… it is ridiculously assanine….

OK. I hear what you’re both saying kenwo and kris, but the terminology? Eeeeeww. Can we come up with a name that’s a little less crass? Not to mention that it points the blame at women. Surely you don’t think that, right?

OH YEAH!! Doesn’t matter how it happens as long as we have more…told you I had a good feeling about tonight!! BA with the game winning hit. I’m going to start the campaign to get him more playing time!! The Twinkies should wrap it up with a win, but we are still there and first place is still ours. If we take care of our own business we are good. Sweet dreams all!!

Holy Mary, Mother of God…. ( and I’m not Catholic). I may have to purchase some Rosary Beads though, if it’s going to be like this EVERY DAY…!!!!????? Oh for the easy win……. Good job in the end, But……. BP 220 over 115……… Thump,thump, thump….. I’m OK. Really I am…. Tomorrow we need to put up a ten spot….. Early and often…… O.K. now I’m really feeling better….Yikes… Yeah, the Sox win….. I knew it all along….. the Jays are done….Go White Sox….. j.k.

jesus christ I almost drove down to the Cell and challenged Jenks to a brawl. He is lucky that he got out of that and now i can relax. good offense tonight. jerry owens looked pretty good. I still think Buehrle should have gone longer.

Tomorrow will be tough against Marcum. He was the league leader in ERA before he got injured. He was great his last outing as well. It may be a tough one but I think Gavin will do a fine job.

O.K. Now we can get on to really important things…. Like you may remember Johnny Carson from the Tonight Show, but what was the name of the daytime gameshow he and Ed McMahon hosted before he took over for Jack Paar?.. TQ knows, but who else??

It seems to me that Hawk explained Matabatacola once awhile ago, but I can’t come up with the definition right now… (once again….TQ?).

The Sissification of America has been going on for at least the past 40 years. It is a conscious effort by the Feminists to gain power and promote their agenda of equality. Not a bad idea in theory, but the results haven’t turned out for the benefit of either Women or Men…. You decide…

That’s enough controversy for me now. I’d better be careful or I may be thrown out after all…. G’nite everybody…. Go Sox…. j.k.

J.K., you’ll never be thrown out…. I have no idea to the answer to the Carson trivia question…. I’m still a baby by this blogs age group… I think . . . well, maybe not a baby but, you decide, I have a kid that’s almost 21… guess that makes me old (er) huh?

Kenwo, challenge Bobby to a brawl, that would have sold tickets.. not sure Bobby would’ve won either! LOL! Seems between the holy mother of God and JC, we’ve pretty much all hit our knees and gone to prayer and with J.K. and his high bp and my almost stroke, prayer definitely works!

A one game lead with 17 left is still better then a one game lead with 18 left. Could they come back and get the split after the way things started Tuesday?

Honestly didn’t see how they could pull this one off tonight especially with the Triple A lineup they had in there but miracles do happen I guess.

Regarding “pitch counts” there are many former pitchers like Jerry Koosman, Bert Blyleven and Goose Gossage who abhor them. They think (and I tend to agree) that pitchers are “babied” to much and that “protection” actually helps cause more injuries because the arm and shoulder muscles aren’t developed enough.

Pitchers need to throw every single day (even in winter). The best work out I’ve heard of is to throw ten pitches from thirty feet then work your way out to ninety feet. You go in ten foot increments and throw ten times at each distance.

That’s 70 throws a day, every day including during the season (the only ‘day off’ you get is when you are actually starting the game…and even then you are throwing in the game itself.)

I’m out for a day and night and miss two big things — A White Sox winner (I miss you Roon) and a chance to tell Liptak to leave the board!!! Just kidding Mark. This is America. If a guy like Ron Paul can run for President, then you can certainly have your say on the board. I will seldom agree with it, but if everybody agreed with everything, we’d all be as boring as Len Kaspar and Bob Brenly.

And Jen, add me to the list of guys welcoming you back. And, by the way, men don’t need toilet paper all the time. The bathroom hand towels will do just fine!!!

OK where is Scam or whomever he is now to defend Jenks pitching in non-save situations? I know it was only a 4 run lead and it seems like it has been an eternity since he pitched in a game, but he just does not pitch good in those situations. When I saw him out there to start the inning I said to my wife “Here we go with Bobby Drama, they will get him for at least 3.”

And on to the good. I missed it because I was still at softball, but I saw the replay of the squeeze play. AMAZING!!!

Brian Anderson coming through big time with what seemed like a meaningless RBI at the time, but turned out to be all the insurance we needed. I’ve been supporting this guy from day 1 in 2006. He’s never been given a fair shot. Had they let him play through his struggles at the plate like they did with Crede when he was in his first couple years who knows how good he might be right now. He has always had a ton of talent, but talent is no good if you don’t get to use it and fine tune it. Nobody gets better or reaches their potential sitting on the bench.

TC – I will probably get blasted for this, but Len and Bob are way more entertaining than Hawk and DJ. I do get to enjoy some afternoon baseball in my office and occasionaly watch that other team. I think the fact that they talk to each other the whole game is kinda nice. They have a David Letterman kinda of humor that I guess not all enjoy, but I do. And it also seems like every time I watch they lose so I guess that helps too.

My complaint with Kaspar is he is always talking about music. C’mon Len, I know it is the National (Minor) League, but this is a baseball game not the Grammy Awards.

And I am not going to make comment on Hawk and DJ. Let’s just say that as a fan that follows announcers very closely (and has all my life), there are many that stand ahead of all four current TV and radio teams in Chicago. And Hawk was part of one of those teams when he worked with Drysdale in the early-to-mid 80s.

And TQ, no baseball announcer will ever surpass the great Vin Scully. A class announcer and a class man.

Ozzie and BA have not been pals for a long time. But BA did get a pretty good shot in ’06 and did not produce. And his dedication to the game and work ethic were often mentioned as reasons why he fell into Ozzie’s disfavor.

But I give him credit. He comes off the bench and makes good contributions.

But, even though he has not yet gone off any kind of streak, I still would play Griffey more just because our offense needs his potential right now. But then again, the day I manage this team is the day that Len Kaspar stops talking about bands and music. Thank God I hate the team he works for so much that I don’t listen to him very often.

TC – I like music so I guess it is more to my taste. I do agree with you on Vin Scully though. One of the best things about MLB Extra Innings is being able to tune in to a Dodgers game just to hear Vin Scully. I was introduced to him as a kid when he was calling the Saturday afternoon game of the week on NBC back in the early and mid 80’s. He has always had the greatest baseball voice I have ever heard.

My opinion is that Kasper (the Ghost) is as bland as watching grass grow and that after what happened with Steve Stone, Brenley wouldn’t dare say anything “negative” about the Tribune Company’s pet project, not if he wants to keep getting paid.

And while we are on the subject I’ve noticed that Hawk and DJ have been much more critical of the team the past week or so.

D.J. saying on air they are a bad fundamental team, Hawk just about ready to rip out Dotel’s heart the way he was pitching.

Personally I welcome it, it’s as if they have realized (Hawk in particular) this club just isn’t going to put together a ten game winning streak and easily pull away. They are feeling the pressure too and wondering about missed opportunities earlier in the season. That’s starting to come through in their comments.

I agree with you Lip… (I agree with the Lip?)….. Both Hawk and DJ have been more critical of our team. They are expressing the same frustrations we all have since the beginning of the season, or at least since our early year trips to Toronto and Tampa.

The answer to last nights trivia question is “Who do you trust”. Carson was the host in a show patterned after the Groucho Marx show “You bet your life”. It was very funny.

A win today after the Twins lose this afternoon and we will be back up 2 games….. I know you all knew that, but it’s good to see it in print…. Go Sox… j.k.

Mark, you would be surprised with Brenly then. He is pretty critical of the players when it comes to bad play. I’ve heard him on a number of times get into guys when they do something dumb or don’t get a job done. Stone’s situation was blown way out of proportion because of the players reaction. That was all Dusty Bakers fault for not coming down hard on the players that went after Stone.

I have this funny feeling that this will end up in a tie. There should be a coin flip to determine where the tie breaker would be played any time now if it has not already taken place. I almost want to play a tie breaker in Minnesota so we can go up there and exorcise the demons.

Jen, your predictions and mine are very close. The only difference is I have us winning only one game in Yankee stadium, giving us 9 more wins and a total of 90 on the season.

I have the Twins winnig 10 games (losing three of four in Tampa) giving them also 90 wins on the season.

There is a lot of things that can happen to either or both of these teams in the next 17 games. All we can do is keep our fingers crossed and root for the Sox. I really don’t want a playoff…….. Go White Sox… j.k.

Here’s the joker to keep in mind regarding the Twins / Rays series as well as the White Sox / Yankees series next week.

For the Rays, that series comes so late in the year that’s it practically guaranteed they’ll have a post season spot clinched. They may also have already wrapped up the division. So do they play their regulars or not? If so, how many??

That could loom very large as the Twins may find themselves playing against basically a Triple A lineup.

As far as the Sox series with N.Y. the Yankees are done…so the same question…do they play their regulars? Start mixing in kids? Rookie pitchers?? (Normally that’s a good thing but given the Sox history against unknown pitchers maybe not…)

My guess is that being they are the Yankees and the fans would boo them out of the stadium if they showed any sign of “giving up” probably not, but it’s still something to watch closely.

That’s why I don’t place a lot of stock in game by game predictions, you just don’t know what the situation is going to be in late September with teams out of the race or having already clinched a playoff spot.

Jim, I hate seeing Bobby in non-save situations. Just like I hate seeing Bobby come in during the 8th inning, and just like I hate seeing Bobby come in with guys already on base.
For some reason most closers just do not do as well if it is not a save situation. However, if the only time Bobby pitches is in save situations, then he would only have pitched 31 innings this year. You can not pitch only 31 innings in 145 games and stay sharp.

I know you think that he’d be just fine if he throws on the side, but that simply is not how it works. You cannot simulate throwing in a real game during a side session. You can’t simulate the adrenaline, you can’t simulate the the hitting of a real game, or the unexpected situations of a game. You can’t simulate how your fielders might play behind you. There is such a huge difference between pitching at practice and in a real game. For a guy who could be needed at a moments notice when the game is on the line, for any game during the year, he needs to constantly stay active, stay sharp, and stay in a rhythm. Believe me, this is coming from someone with personal experience. And if you don’t believe me, ask anyone in baseball, and they will agree with me.

This might have been the perfect game to bring Bobby in. He needed the work, and we had a comfortable lead. He was flat out awful, yet we still picked up the win. Maybe this game help him get back into a groove, and when we do need him for a save opportunity, he will be on his game. That’s the hope at least.

Mark, the reason why I think Tampa will still have their starters in and not letting up at all, is because they will be competing for the best record in the AL. I’m hoping they will not be letting up at all against the Twins.

Scam, I totally understand what you are saying, and I want to agree with you. But when something is proven not to work properly common sense says don’t try it again.

He’s only had 31 save opportunities, but has been in 50 games even having had missed about 3 weeks. Close to his yearly average. He pitches well too in home games that are tied in the 9th or later, another situation where the closer is used other than a save situation.

Jenks, alike most closers does not get the job done in non-save/big lead situations. It’s always seemed like a mental thing. I know the way a pitcher mentally prepares daily for his role is crucial. He damn near blew that game last night, and had he done that we may as well not even bother showing up today because this team would have been mentally beaten too.

I definitely understand where you are coming from as well. The inability of closers to pitch well in non-save situations has always caused me much confusion. It seems like you would want to be in the same mind frame no matter what the situation is. Even if you think you have a safe lead, wouldn’t your own stats be enough motivation? I don’t know. Maybe it’s beyond something we can explain. If anyone else has any ideas as to why closers do not perform as well in non-save situations I would love to hear them.

Just remember the old saying guys — “Overanalysis leads to paralysis.”

Trying to figure out pitchers is tough enough. Trying to project game-by-game wins and losses is even harder.

I tend not to worry about who we play next week or who the Twins play. Remember, just a couple of weeks ago in KC the Royals fared okay against the Twins. And just about everyone — not only Liptak which was a given — wrote off last night’s game before it started.

Argh…. Anyone want my tickets for tonight’s game? I’ve got a last minute doctor appointment for my daughter, so now I can’t make it. Email me at mwagener@attadalepartners.com. (It works now.) I’ll email you the tickets and you print them out. But hurry! I have to leave my computer by 3:00.

Well, well, well… It seems that the title of “horseshoe up the hinie park” should be passed back from the piranha tank to Jurrasic Park at Neverland…

The KC Royals BEATING the Minnesota Twins? In the HumpDump?

That’s like Regis Philbin being shouted down by Katie Couric…

Speaking of females (WHATTA segway, eh???)… let me be among the last to welcome Queen Jennifer the First back from his visit to the Magic Kingdom… and I am a bit surprised that she did not come back with the deed to Cinderella’s castle to deposit in the middle of scenic Crown Point, Indiana(the preceding line was dropped in by the Scenic Crown Point, Indiana Travel and Tourism Bureau…)…

As to last night… If I had the cash money and the gift of flight to the Cell from my little obligation, I would have rewarded Jerry Owens for the successful squeeze bunt in the 6th inning last night… especially after the crappy job the boys did in the day/night DH the day/night before…

Small ball DOES work… if the execution is done properly…

Now, as to tonight… with the lead now being a game and a half, let’s hope that they come out with a similar effort to last night… well, not EXACTLY like last night… with regards to the 9th inning…

Farmer always says “There is no such thing as an easy save.”… Well, he should know, as that is how he made his living while in a WS uniform… But, come on, Manchild… don’t you realize that there are people out there with weak hearts and weak stomachs, who cannot stand to see an inning with THAT much drama?

The “magic number” is now Sweet 16…

As to other business:

Lip… Don’t even THINK about leaving this site… you are too valuable to all here… because you make people think about what you write, right or wrong…

Kris: Kiddo, you KNOW how I feel about your situation… I got your e-mail, and some extra thoughts are going out to the Higher Authority about the safety of you and Eric and the other kiddos down there…

jk: Yes, I knew the answer to the Carson trivia… Now, answer THIS portion of the question…

Thank you and Amen, Lisa. Our troops deserve all our respect (regardless of your opinion of the wars) and prayers for what they give every day of the year. On behalf of my two military Sons, thank you.

TQ, I’ve got no idea, you’ll have to give me a hint. I’m sure that only you and me will remember it…..

Why are you all so surprised that KC beat the Twins? I ordered that up last night/early this morning…. Just business as usual, and after we win today, we’ll be back up by two… Go Sox ’08…. j.k.

I like BA too Donna, but I’ve got to say that last nights line-up worked very well. I’m behind Ozzie however “strange” his line-up may look to me. Hey, he’s the boss anyway, and knows more than I do about it.. I expect BA will get some more playing time, but not much more than the past because of the time of the year….We will see…. Go Sox…. j.k.

Hello, TQ, don’t worry about the HIS, I didn’t even notice it until you wrote it the 2nd time!
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LISA – Who would of thunk it??http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ken_Harrelson
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BA is a smart*ss! He parties alot, and he B*tches alot!!
Just imagine kenwo in a WS uniform!!

Ozzie has really lost it, and it will be a miracle if he doesn’t throw away what should be a shoe in for the playoffs…….

He plays Josh Fields in CF over BA? Are you frigging kidding me? Ozzie! YOURE AN IDIOT.

BA comes in and hits the winning RBI…..If I was BA, I’d look Ozzie in the face and say…HOW U LIKE ME NOW YOU A******? Note to WS…..trade BA and let him go to a team that sees the talent.

He continues to play Dwayne Wise when he drops and misplays balls in the field. Maybe he’s Fields brother?

Griffey continues to underperform. What a waste of money….

On the positive side of things…….Watching Owens lay down that squeeze was sweet….Nice job by the kid. We’ve gotten some good outings from our pitchers. Buehrle, Danks, Vazquez…..now we need Gavin to step up tonight.

We are soooooo lucky PK will be back. Latest rumor is Monday. I was at the game when he went down and like everyone else, I thought he was done. Maybe the Gods are with us…….

Now, if I was working the games (that’s right, Chumley…keep dreaming…), this would be my list of “signatures”…

After the first half inning… The (team) is coming to bat… at (the Cell, or whatever location it would be…)

With every long HR: “THIS BALL IS FAR, FAR AWAY !!!”

Double plays: RING IT UP !!!

Strikeouts: GOT HIM SWINGING (or LOOKING, as the case may be…)

At least once a game, on a ground out to a Sox infielder…
“HE’SSSSS OUT !!!” (tribute to Bob Elson)

With a win: “THIS BALL GAME IS IN THE BOOK.”

The other way: “That’s the ball game.” (Guess what happened?)

On a return to the game after a commercial break, usually about the 6th inning: “Tom Quaid back with (color commentator, engineer) … and a cast of thousands… (A tribute to Cecil B De Mille and Ringmaster Ned of Bozo’s Circus… You had to be growing up here in Chicago in the ’60’s to understand THAT one…)

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